Disclaimer: I do not own Phoenix Wright:Ace Attorney. I am merely borrowing the wonderful characters.

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June 16, 2002

Von Karma Mansion, Germany

1:35 pm

She hated this.

She hated this house; its snobbish decadence and pompous grandeur. It was all fake, all phony, like the people who came in and out frequently for lavish parties that were held at the von Karma estate at least once a month (because that was expected of such a high standing public official).

She hated her school. The children who attended there were just as pompous and snooty as the adults who grace her abode far too often. They were the personification of perfection; perfect grades, perfect hair, perfect teeth, perfect lives. She was not perfect.

She hated her father, most of all.

She hated him more than the annoying party guests and perfect peers. He was the dominating force that ran the von Karma household like clockwork. He was the powerful man who walked through the halls of the estate as if he was greater than God, Himself. Her father thought very highly of himself and very little of all those around him.

Especially her. She was the daughter that could not achieve perfection. That was simply unacceptable for a von Karma, so he ostracized her as a punishment for her incompetence. This was just fine as far as Ana von Karma was concerned.

She wandered around the endless hallways of the huge estate. Ana rarely had freedom to move about outside the comfort of her own room, but she felt fairly certain that she would not have the misfortune to meet the looming figure of her father in the dark corridors.

Manfred von Karma had left for America over six months ago. No one had heard hide nor hair from the man since his last trial in December.

The girl grinned as she thought of the look on the proud, "perfect" prosecutor's face and the shame that matched it when that defense attorney called him out. A pang coursed through her heart at the memory. The smile retreated from her face when she thought of that poor man's untimely demise. German papers did not get too many details of the murder or the trial that followed (the only reason it was mentioned at all was because of the controversy it brought Germany's great perfectionist), but Ana remembered the suspicions that rose in her mind as she read the black and white of the newsprint. Was this not just like the time--

"…Ana?" The girl turned her head in the direction of the little voice that called her.

"Why, hello there, Prinzessin." Ana smiled warmly at her little sister. The small girl seemed like the only reason for Ana to leave the confines of her room as of late. She would gladly brave the terror of Manfred von Karma to see the little smile of the small girl who stood before her now. The smile that did not appear on her face. "What's up, chickie-boom?"

The blue haired toddler looked up. She pointed to the extravagant chandelier dangling down form the dining room ceiling. "The chandelier," she said in a stoic voice. Ana rolled her eyes. She should have seen that one coming.

"I meant, what is wrong?" The girl became quiet and turned away from Ana so that she could not read her pudgy face.

Ana became even more concerned at her little sister's actions. "What is it?" she goaded, gently. "You know you can tell me, right?"

Her sister nodded slowly.

"…well?"

"…w-when is father coming back?" Ana's head bobbed in shock. Months had come and gone and she did not even think the three year old even noticed, or cared, that their father had been gone. Franziska von Karma rarely showed her emotions. She did not cry. She did not laugh. Once in a while, she would throw a tantrum when she did not get her way. Other than that, she was very obedient and abnormally well behaved for a child of her tender age.

This was because she was trained to be the perfect von Karma before she could even walk. Manfred von Karma was not a fool and would not make the same mistakes he made with Ana. He would groom the perfect von Karma heir. Even if she was just a girl. The process of Franziska's training was made easier since their mother could not say anything about it…

Rage coursed through Ana as she thought of the memory of her mother's mysterious death and all the anger it brought with it. She looked at Franziska. She would never understand what happed to their mother, but the child would always carry the blame for her death. "Do you miss him?"

Ana never blamed her.

Franziska looked at her with something akin to fury in her eyes. "No, I do not miss him," she muttered, darkly. Ana noticed her glistening eyes, ready to spill over with tears (but Ana knew they would never fall). Typical, she thought, Franziska would not want to appear weak even in front of her own sister. "I simply thought it was strange that he has been gone such a long amount of time without contacting us about his whereabouts."

"Hm. His whereabouts, Prinzessin?" she chuckled at her little sister's spectacular vocabulary. It was like speaking to an adult. "Are you worried that he will not return?" Ana could only hope.

"No," the child said, too quickly to support her previous testimony. "I know he will return." She sounded, to Ana, as if she was trying to convince herself more than anyone else. "I was just curious as to when he will return."

"I'm sorry, Franziska, I do not know when father will come back." Franziska's bright eyes became dull at this news. "But, as soon as I find out I will be sure that you are the first to know." Ana hoped that this small bit of reassurance would raise the child's spirits, but it seemed the girl was more melancholy than she was letting on.

"I see. Danke, Ana." With a small, sad smile the toddler waddled off towards the stairs to ascend to her own room to think.

Ana was deep in her own thoughts as she watched Franziska close the door of her room. She worried the older girl. Franziska was extremely brilliant. She could already speak both German and English fluently, she knew her times tables up to twelve, and she was in the middle of reading A Tale of Two Cities. The girl was truly a prodigy, but she missed out on many other things that normal children her age experience. She was never sung nursery rhymes (save for the few Ana sung her when she was still a baby), she never watched cartoons (she didn't even know how the television worked!), and she never wanted to color or play games. She was very serious and thought that her studies were all that mattered.

Ana was almost the exact opposite of her sister. She was free to do all those things that Franziska put off as petty, foolish activities. Ana loved drawing and watching cartoons and singing silly songs. This was probably why her father thought that she was such a failure.

He wanted her to be a prosecutor and follow the von Karma line, but she was much more content drawing and watching Pinky Rabbit than learning about law. Her mother saw this and was able to convince Manfred that law was not for her.

When her mother died, he forgot about her love of art and music and told her that she had better live up to his expectations. She did not.

Perfection never suited Ana well.

That is not to say that she was a bad student. She usually had straight A's, but she did not do everything she did with a "perfect" von Karma mindset. Manfred became fed up with his disappointing first born and moved onto Franziska to mold her inot his ideal; the perfect von Karma heir. Something that Ana could never be.

But, Ana knew that Franziska was not going to be perfect enough either.

Manfred von Karma had always wanted a boy to carry on his legacy, but fate had denied him this one perfection. His last chance was Franziska. Ana knew that their father would never think the girl was good enough, but Ana thought that she was incredible. She believed that Franziska could be the greatest prosecutor in the world because she had a strong will to win, a drive to come out on top. If that drive, that fire, was started by their over bearing father, then so be it. It would not change the facts. Nothing can overcome truth.

And that truth was that one day, Franziska would surpass their father. That was why she was perfect, because she would be able to do something the prosecutor thought was impossible.

Ana was shaken from her thought when she heard the telephone ring. She saw the maid materialized out of the woodwork and answered the phone with a practiced "Hello. Von Karma residence." She listened carefully for a moment then replied with a few rushed "Ja"'s and "Nein"'s. She placed the receiver down on the table and called Ana over. "It's your father," she whispered as she handed the girl the phone.

Wunderbar.

She took the phone from the older woman. "Danke, Frau." The woman gave a quick nod and scuttled down the hall to do other maid-ly type things. Ana took a deep breath and put the phone to her ear. Bitte, Gott, Helfen Sie mir. "Hallo, Vater. Wie geht es dir?"

A commanding voice boomed on the other side of the connection. Ana shrunk back and rolled her eyes at his horrible temper. "I am sorry, father." More scolding came over the line and Ana had to stop herself from just hanging up the phone. She noticed the Franziska's door was open a crack. Ana smiled to herself. "Yes, father. I said I was sorry!" One more reprimand came her way before her father seemed to move onto what his call was actually about. Ana was beginning to think that he called just because he wanted to yell at her.

When he was finished, Ana bid him goodbye and hung up the phone, she grinned as she heard little feet rush down stairs. Franziska looked through the bars of the railings and looked at her older sister, without saying a single word. The anticipation etched on her face must have been twisting her insides into little knots. Ana didn't think it would hurt to play with the prodigy's head a little.

"Hey there, Prinzessin."

Franziska looked at her like she was ready to burst out the questions that were no doubt plaguing her mind, but it took all her will power to revise them into a simple "Who was on the telephone?"

Ana shrugged. "No one interesting. I think it was one of those telemarketers. They must think we are Americans or something…" The three year old glared at her sister with one of the most intense stares a child her age could muster. "Oh, fine, it was father," she laughed. "You caught me." Franziska's face broke into a huge smile, then she realized what she did and veiled her feelings behind her calm, mature guise.

"When will he return?" she asked, masking the happiness that was bubbling inside her.

"He will be back within the week." She was disappointed that she only had a few short days of freedom left. The young girl did not seem to notice her sister's strife because she broke out into another large grin. "He said that he has arranged a party for his return. We have to be dressed in our best dresses."

"Why are we having a party?" Franziska cocked her head in a quizzical fashion, which was no easy task considering how she squeezed her head through the railings.

Ana shrugged again. "I'm not completely sure. He said something about having a guest stay with us, or something to that effect."

"I wonder who it is?"

"I do, too."

"I am glad that father is coming home."

Ana hated that she could not agree with her.

She hated that she could not call her house a home.

There was too much hatred and sorrow to call it that.

She hated perfection.

Something that would never be hers.

She hated that her father yelled.

Because he hated her.

She hated that she was only twelve.

She could not yell back.

She hated her father.

And everything to do with him.

Except Franziska.

Franziska was always the only exception.

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Hatred

German Translation:

Prinzessin-Princess

Danke- Thank you

Ja- Yes

Nein- No

Wunderbar- Wonderful

Frau- Missus (Mrs.)

Bitte, Gott, Helfen Sie mir- Please, God, help me.

Hallo- Hello

Vater- Father

Wie geht es dir?- How are you?

A/N: Well I hope you enjoyed that. I know that it is a lot different than the first chapter. Ever since I found out about the older von Karma daughter I found her extremely interesting. I got some of my inspiration for her from "Disappointment" by HowObjectionable. It is a wonderful read I highly recommend it.

Also thank you to my readers, especially Indochine Ramera, winner-loser, and Sierra Silver who left wonderful reviews! Thanks so much!

Oh, and I just want to explain that these are oneshots, kinda. I mean they just are not going to be in chronological order…but, don't worry I will always at least put the date it takes place at the top. Cause, I'll bet a few people were just like "wait, wasn't Franziska like 16 in the last one?" Yes, I like to mess with your heads…no, not really it's just as the inspiration comes to me really.

Sorry if anyone doesn't like that I'm using an OC to tell this chapter, but I figured it would be easier than telling it through the eyes of a three year old (it was bad enough with an twelve year old). Even though, Ana is kinda like half an OC cause technically she exists…I guess. I hope she was okay.

So, please read and review. It makes me happy.

And inspires me! *wink* *wink*

A cookie for whoever catches the Hotel Dusk reference.